Miracle at Naganaki
by TitaniumBlossom
Summary: FeMC x Akinari At Naganaki, she meets the love of her life, one that has the possibility to change both of their fates, for the better. M for final chapter 5.
1. Chapter 1

Miracle at Naganaki

Chapter 1

TitaniumBlossom

(_**A/N: So here's my first Persona story, and just fyi, there's a bit of retcon involving certain events after maxing the social link, including the spoiler thing, as well as dates, etc. being sometimes off the mark, but I hope that I get most of it right, and that which I don't is probably changed for the purposes of the story.)**_

It was August 9th, when she first saw him. School was going to start up sooner or later, and her advanced classes that Mitsuruand there was no way that she would let go of an opportunity to come to the shrine. She was intelligent enough, but there wasn't any reason not to perhaps become a genius.

The offertory box seemed to help before. At the beginning of the year, she was remarkably average. Now, though, she felt as if something had changed. She had studied her way up to the higher end of her class, as if some force compelled her to. In addition to that, she seemed to have become braver, if she still was a bit unpolished in terms of charm.

Really, the only correlation she could draw from her recent hyper-development in intelligence was from either the offertory box money she shilled out on a regular basis, or some strange third party that had possessed her subconscious and was directing her around her life, ceaselessly.

But that couldn't be true. What mattered, anyway, was the fact that she spent all of her time on the weekends either attending the shrine or the various friends and contacts she held outside of her dorm. Even during school, there were various Student Council, with Hidetoshi and Saori.

As she walked a few more blocks, she realized she was leaving Tartarus out of the equation. Her nightly excursions with S.E.E.S were very important, but put into perspective of all the socializing and normal, everyday life that went around her, it was too easy for herself to tune real life out.

The blare of a car horn snapped her out of the trance she was in. She stepped back quickly, noticing the crosswalk was still shining red. As she waited on the corner, she realized that it was all getting to her. The long nights in Tartarus, the long nights studying. She was sleep-deprived. In fact, she had realized a few weeks ago that some of her muscles would randomly tremble and shake. It was difficult to stay awake in school, so she used her mechanical pencil to provide the pain to keep herself awake. Her upper arms were pockmarked with little scabs from where she had drawn blood.

It was too late to start relaxing, anyway. The visit to the shrine wasn't just for herself. A young man at the shrine that she had seen with Maiko at the playground had claimed that a red-eyed beast had taken his pen. Last night, when she actually got a chance to interact with Koromaru, she received the pen from him.

She cursed herself silently as the crosswalk sign turned green and she walked across. Being such a helpful person really had put a strain on her. Sometimes, she wished that she had the temerity to rest a bit more, but something about the city, and her return to it, awakened some new well of productivity, that unfortunately, resulted in her current state.

Because of that, she found herself nearly exhausted by the time she had reached the shrine, which was truly not that far for a normal person to walk. She smirked to herself as she closed the distance, at the fact that so much of what she had in the Dark Hour didn't persist past, like her strength.

Naganaki was not the neatest place, but it was relatively well-kept. It had the playground that she had taken Elizabeth to just a few days ago, and where she played with Maiko. Benches also lined the edges, and it was no surprise to her that the thin young man was still there.

As she approached him on the stone paving, she analyzed him as she found that she was doing more and more often. The man was older than her, but not by too much. He was thin, wearing black semi-casual pants and a striped blue and white collared shirt, unbuttoned near the top. Somehow, she felt it wasn't an attempt to flaunt his attractiveness. It looked as if it was all made to help him enjoy the air outside, and judging by the way that one hand was resting protectively on his body, in a pointless gesture of vulnerability, she could tell that he needed all the enjoyment he could get. In short, he was dying.

She didn't want to jump to conclusions, so as she drew his fancy red pen, and advanced, she decided to wait for him to talk. He had noticed her for sure, and recognized her from before, so when his pen appeared in her hands, he seemed to get a sudden burst of energy.

She couldn't help but smile as the young man's expression contorted into one of delight at the sight of what must have been one of his most prized possessions.

"Oh... The pen in your possession... Is that my missing fountain pen?", He asked.

She wasn't good at talking with people, but she acknowledged that he was being cautious. Most people would have exclaimed "My pen!". She immediately felt like she could relate to him in some way. She already felt half dead, but maybe he was just as intelligent as her, if not more.

Without speaking, she held the pen out in her hand, for him to take. He nodded and took it, relief clear on his face.

"Ahh... Welcome home, dear friend. … Thank you for finding it for me.", the young man gratefully enthused. "My name is Akinari Kamiki."

She was taken aback at his sudden warmth. It was surprising to find someone who would call a newfound acquaintance a friend within moments of actually interacting with them. She never warmed up to people this fast. Even now, she still couldn't feel a real bond forming between her and some her dorm-mates. She felt she was getting closer to them all as a group, but there were many holes to be filled.

Instead, with Akinari, there was immediate linking. After a short period of awkwardness, of them looking at each other with some unreadable emotion in their eyes, and not a word coming from her lips, Akinari immediately understood that he would be the one leading the conversation.

"Have a seat if you'd like. I'll write something for the two of us.", He offered, gesturing to the open space on the bench to his left.

With little hesitation, she sat next to him on the bench. The view they shared wasn't anything grand, just the slide, the seesaws, and the jungle gym, laid out like little toys, strewn around the playground.

However, while she was busy looking out at the playground, he was looking at her. When she turned her head to look at him, she was surprised by the distant ferocity of his gaze. It embarrased her a bit, his gray eyes addressing her from afar, yet somehow more intimate than any other gaze she had seen before.

"... I remember you.", He finally announced. "You're the girl who was playing with that elementary school girl."

He paused for a second, as if gathering his thoughts and taking breath.

"She was very... ...Bright. Her face shone with the warm light of new life.", He spoke, he voice soft, and somehow sad. The way he talked about Maiko seemed like that of an old man, admiring youth and health. Quickly, the thoughts came together in her head. She was almost expecting his next line.

"...And then there's me, cooped up in the hospital, struggling to breathe.", He finished, looking less sad than she expected for someone who had just admitted what she expected was a terminal illness.

He sighed, "Compared to her light, I'm but a shadow. Misery is a harsh mistress."

The young man in front of her definitely had a knack with words. Almost every sentence he spoke was like poetry, thoroughly evocative of his condition.

The expression on his face was thoroughly flat as he announced, "I feel as though I'm lying in an unyielding darkness." He turned back to his newfound listening companion. Asking, "Can you understand how I feel?"

Realizing that she was expected to answer at least this question, she considered the options. To avoid appearing as a a blatant liar, she could either say she kind of did, or that she couldn't. Sure, in her pursuit for knowledge, things seemed a bit severe, but she could hardly say she was dying, or even that she was depressed. Things were better than they had been before. And so, she answered,

"No, I can't.", she answered succinctly. She felt that she had no right to compare her dilemma with that of a dying man's, and thus, she couldn't say that she understood.

Akinari nodded, not disappointed at all. The question was not so much a test as an exploration of her psyche and worldview.

" I didn't think so...", He revealed. There was another pause in which it seemed that the man was considering how he would treat the next part of the conversation.

His intense gaze once again alighted upon her eyes. "... Any day now, I'm going to die. I have a genetic disease without any known cure. Unless you're in my situation, you can't understand what its like.", Akinari stated, matter-of-factly, as if he had accepted his fate, or was so detached from himself that he no longer cared.

He continued, "...But I prefer it that way. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. There isn't anything you can do to slow this down or make things better."

Akinari fell silent, as if embarrassed, looking away from her and towards the playground again. As she watched him look away, she herself wondered how she thought about the whole thing. Looking at Akinari, she felt like it would be a terrible thing to see a mind like his leave the world. But, there was a certain feeling she had for him from first sight that she was attempting to disregard, to stave off some wave of negative emotion.

"Sorry about that.", Akinari apologized. "I didn't mean to depress you or anything."

Akinari sighed again.

"I haven't spoken to someone my own age in a long time... It's natural for those in darkness to yearn for the world of light.", He remarked, looking back once again at his benchmate.

She herself thought that it was a funny concept, that someone as dysfunctional as she was right now could be someone in the world of light.

"I'm glad that we could meet, though. If there's a god, I'll be able to thank him soon enough...", Akinari continued, speech growing weaker near the end.

Almost immediately, she felt the surge of energy, the feeling of motion within her head that accompanied all of her new social links. Who would have known that random acts of kindness could lead to the generation of more power for her Personas?

As if sensing her energy, Akinari turned stern. "I would rather you not come here ever again." He continued with his speech, as if every word dealt him a mortal blow, "You only live once, right? So why waste your life among the dying? Goodbye.", Akinari finished, looking away.

She realized the conversation was over, and it was getting colder, now that the sun was setting. She decided to head back to the dorm for the night.

On her way back, she found herself a bit more alert. Thankfully, she had no close calls on the way back. It was summer vacation, too, so she felt like some rest was in order. No Dark Hour, no studying. Just Sleep.

She gave a positive-sounding grunt to Akihiko's greeting, and stumbled up the stairs, her proximity to her room increasing her fatigue. She collapsed on the bed, shedding her clothes and wrapping herself up in her blanket, wondering when she could talk to her new friend.


	2. Chapter 2

Miracle at Naganaki

Chapter 2

(_**A/N: Female Protagonist is referred to with capital She, Her, Herself, etc. when there might be any confusion. Generally, I'll try to refer to the other girls by name to avoid confusion.)**_

The sun rose and woke her up. She was a very light sleeper, especially when it came to waking up on time for her all-important school. Not that it mattered now that summer break had rolled around. She sighed and punched her pillow into shape, beginning to relax again.

She was about to roll over and fall asleep when she remembered Summer School, which Mitsuru had enrolled her in. Almost immediately, She rolled out of bed and got ready. Thankfully, there would be no homework from Summer School, and she had gotten a nice bit of sleep. She would be able to stay awake without the use of her mechanical pencil. Her arm still ached from its various puncture spots, so she was happy to spare it.

Despite the heat, the lectures continued. The first day was boring, even if it was extremely educational. She could feel herself improving academically, though, something which she cared about more than having fun during her break. She fell asleep as soon as she returned back to the dorm, and repeated the cycle of school and coma-like sleep for the next five days, not so much paying attention to school as absorbing it entirely and using it to grow herself.

She found that, with an entire night's worth of rest, she actually learned with much less effort than before, and with no assignments or raids during the Dark Hour, it could stay that way, for at least the remainder of the five-day school session.

The evening after the final class, She decided that she would spend more time with the SEES team, especially their newest member, the strangely sentient dog, Koromaru.

All it took was some dog food that she had made at the cooking club accompanied with a paw-five, and she could immeadiately could perceive the new bond in between herself and Koromaru. Some strange sicth sense told her that he embodied the Strength Arcana, too, which was important for her Persona fusing.

She had no doubt that Igor, or whoever Igor served, intended for her to have these strange bursts of information whenever she made what she called Social Links with the various people around her.

The downside to the whole power for friends setup was that she got a nagging voice in the back of her head that said that she was doing it all for the power. The worst part was the fact that she wasn't able to completely deny that.

Sure, she looked cheerful and cute, with her auburn hair and red eyes, but in reality, she wasn't really that social. A better way to phrase it was that she hadn't been social where she had come from, an all-girl school where she had been entirely apathetic.

She had been a slacker, as if in rebellion for being placed there by her uncaring aunt. Even worse, she had very little charm , literally having no need for it in a school filled with generally uncaring rich girls who were content to live their lives without making stereotypical cliques or manipulating others.

There was no reason to charm any of them for anything, because they lived their lives in uniform dorms, wearing uniforms and having only a library for entertainment. And, as she found, there were no opportunities to become courageous even if she had wanted them.

She had kept to herself, not talking, nor trying. And that had been for the entire time at the school, which doubled as a middle and a high school. Now that she was away from that hell, she couldn't accept that all of her newfound socializing wasn't related to getting power for her Personas.

She headed back upstairs to sleep. She was tired, but not quite as tired as at the beginning of summer vacation. Now it felt as if she could rest, and sleep.

The next morning, she got a call from Akihiko. Apparently he wanted to go to the summer festival with her. She accepted his invitation, and went with him. She didn't see Akinari at the shrine, no matter how much she looked for him, but she had an alright time anyway.

She spent the rest of the summer break divided between studying and spending time on her social links, taking Koromaru out for walks sometimes on the evenings when they weren't going to raid. She was getting a strong feeling that she was actually on the verge of becoming a genius, as silly as being aware of such a thing sounded.

Actually getting a full night's sleep for more than just a day had somehow honed her mental faculties, to the point where she just absorbed and processed information by looking at it. Hard work payed off, she guessed.

While everyone complained of the quick-arriving spectre of school, She actually relished it. The same went for the boredom that everyone felt. It was a bit silly. She both liked not having to do anything and the opportunity to do something.

Thinking about the strange paradox she had placed herself in, she chuckled, stopping at a crosswalk. She was on her way to see if Maiko, the troubled elementary school girl, was there. She was very close to increasing her relationship with her to the highest level of power, but most importantly, she needed to check with her to see how she was doing. She didn't know anything about divorces, because her parents died when she was young, but she could at least make sure that Maiko knew that she was there for her.

When she arrived, she found that the shrine was deserted, except for a familiar-looking figure sitting on a bench. It was Akinari, the terminally ill young man that she had met at the beginning of summer break. Without hesitation, she approached him.

Akinari noticed her immeadiately, gray eyes adressing her from close up, but seeming far away.

"...Oh, it's you. ", He planitively remarked. "Why don't you have a seat? This bench is too big for me alone."

She nodded, giving a smile, and sat down next to him on the bench.

"You're... not like the others.", He observed.

She was surprised by this. As far as she could tell, she didn't seem to different from the rset of the people around her.

"What do you mean?", She asked, obviously puzzled.

"I didn't expect to see you again. Usually, people don't come back."

Akinari smiled sadly.

"Nobody treats me like a normal guy... not even my family. I can tell by how they look at me. The pity in their eyes is unmistakable." Akinari's smile turned bitter and he looked directly at her. "... I don't need their sympathy any more than I need their curiosity."

The look on his face was fierce, and there was some great force behind his eyes that compelled her to look into them. He almost emanated distaste, but at the same time sadness, and a hint of understanding.

It seemed as if they spent an eternity locked in each other's gaze, Piercingly analytic innocence versus wounded despair.

The moment was broken when his expression softened and was set back to his usual pained expression.

"I'm sorry, but... I don't expect anyone to pity me." His face changed again, but not as bitter now, more sad than anything. "Dying isn't so unusual, is it? What is there to gain by staying in this world for a long time, anyway?"

Somehow, She found that she agreed with what he said. To her, an orphan who had spent so much time alone, dying didn't seem like that much of a change. Despite all of the things she had found in her return to Tatsumi Port Island, there were still times where she felt dead inside, a hollowed out doll for everyone to play with, a puppet of fate.

"You may be right.", She admitted, despite knowing that there were other things to say.

Akinari just nodded, as if just acknowledging the information, not judging it. She really like the way that Akinari was content not to judge, to just live and let things happen.

"... You must have a hopelessness festering inside you as well, then. I can't remember a time without it.", Akinari inferred. He smiled, enigmatically. She had no idea what for. "...Hey. Thanks for coming today. You don't seem like eveyone else. I'm not sure I know how to desribe it exactly, but... You don't look down on me the way everyone else does."

She looked at Akinari and found a fresh level of interest in his eyes. He was intrigued. She was about to say something, before Akinari broke off into a fit of coughing.

"Dammit... What did I do to deserve this body?", he questioned, wheezing. "... I hope we can meet again."

Knowing that this was her cue to get up and leave him with his thoughts, She did, feeling like she had gained power for the Sun arcana once again.

But maybe most importantly, she thought that she was falling in love.


	3. Chapter 3

Miracle at Naganaki

Chapter 3

Titanium Blossom

The next full moon would be in one week, Pharos had said, as if She didn't keep track of it herself. Either way, this Sunday would be the second-to-last day of summer break. She decided to head down to the shrine. Even if she had solved the situation with Maiko, she knew that at least one person would be at the shrine.

Akinari Kamiki, the terminally ill student, someone who she felt drawn to in greater magnitude than any other person. As she made her way through the inescapably hot city streets, she wondered what they would talk about today. He was probably one of the only people she could relate to, even with his imminent death hovering over her head.

In her opinion, her friends, although good friends, were not especially bondable. With Kamiki, though, it was as if all the pain and suffering she had been through collided with his and canceled itself out. At this point, though, she felt that he was more of a foil than anything else.

Before she could say anything while approaching her, Akinari called out to her first.

"Hey, you..." He started, before being set upon by a bout of coughing. It went on for a longer time than most coughing fits. Finally, once the wheezing stopped, he panted out an apology.

"Sorry..." He gulped for air in between phrases. "If you don't mind, please stay until I've recovered my breath." He quit talking while he waited for his breathing to level out.

She sat next to him on the bench, knowing not to interfere unless he asked for it.

"Thank you.", he managed to gasp, and then after a cough or two, appeared much better. "It's... staring to settle down, I think..." He recovered slowly, but once he did, his eyes burned with energy once again and he smiled widely, one of the first times she had seen him do so so strongly. "... Thank you for coming. It's better when I'm not alone."

"Why do I have to face this alone?", He asked. "Other people don't have to deal with this sickness."

His face turned sad.

"I won't ever walk through a sunny field again because my legs and heart can't handle it... All that's left is to draw my sheets around me and count the beats of my heart until they stop forever."

He stopped for a second, and looked to make sure that She wasn't being disturbed by all his talk of death.

She gave him a nod, as if he could talk on. She understood Akinari's decision to treat his condition and fate like this, and didn't fault him for not taking it lighter. After all, she had never been in his situation. She couldn't accurately say that she was dying at a rate faster than anyone else her age.

"...Why is this only happening to me?", Akinari asked, looking at her with the expression he used when expecting her to say something.

"God's whims, maybe?", she suggested. Many people had attempted to prove why bad things happened to good people, but none of them really had succeeded. Karma, Salvation through suffering, even statistics could be offered up, but really, there was no way of knowing for sure if or when someone would be beset with misfortune.

Akinari almost laughed grimly at her answer. "No kidding...", He joked. "Pretty twisted sense of humor, isn't it? There's no reason to it at all! I was chosen at random! That's the worst part. There isn't any logic to it. Just random selection."

Akinari forced a smile to try and hide the bitterness and fear that he clearly was feeling.

He was quiet for a while, and then offered up, "... I wish I could run away. But if my body was capable of that, I wouldn't be here anyway... No matter what I do, my body is there to remind me... I'm going to die... And there's nothing I can do!"

The last part of Akinari's speech burned with a caustic anguish that was almost infectious. She felt it burn her, in a way, and for a moment, everything was darker in the world. But then Akinari broke into a coughing fit, and she realized that it was just the talk of a pained individual.

After the coughing fit broke off, Akinari sighed. "Please don't leave... just yet... When I'm alone... it feels like it could end at any second." The desperation was clear in his voice. She felt like she needed to say something to assuage his pain.

"Don't torment yourself.", She told him.

He wheezed before answering, "No, of course not... I can accept it..." He nodded. "I am feeling... a little better... So thank you."

She realized her presence was comforting to him, and almost at the same time, she felt energy surge through her. Her rank with him had gone up.

"It's starting to get dark. Don't worry, I'll be fine now... It was good seeing you.", He said, waving her off.

She thought that Akinari was at the very least, knowledgable as to how his words had an effect on her, so he waved her off more to save her the expense of listening to a dying man like him.

She nodded, and headed off. She was silent when she got back, and walked with Koromaru in silence. School was coming up, and she had more than enough on her plate.

A week later, she had found that her summer classes and training during summer vacation had made her tasks a lot easier. Somehow, she felt as if she had become incredibly better at Academics, and with the power of the Sun Arcana, she was fusing new, skilled Personas.

She had rushed to the shrine to somehow give Akinari thanks. That happened to be by entering into conversation with him. He looked as if he was doing better.

"I know it probably looked pretty bad last time, right?", He looked as if he was disappointed in himself. "... I had been reading a book before we met that day. I got so absorbed in the reading that I forgot to close the window, and I didn't realize how chilly it was." He looked at her, as if struck by a sudden thought. "Do you read many books?"

"I love books!", She enthused, glad that she shared something in common with Akinari. She read quite a lot when she could find the time, and the books.

"I see... That's something we have in common, then.", Akinari said, clearly pleased, his wide grin over his face. " I read a lot of books these days. I find that they're the easiest ways to spend my time, sine I can get lost in a book's private world."

Another errant thought struck him, and he asked yet another question. "Do you read books all the way to the end?"

"Of course", She said. Even before she came to Tatsumi Port Island, before she developed the work ethic, she had read books from cover to cover all the time. Now, with the school work and the Dark Hour, and all of the friends, she couldn't do as much of it, but she at least prided herself on completing the books that she read.

"Ah, I see... I don't like to see them end.", Akinari admitted, going quiet. "I really get into the story and usually reach the end very quickly, but... I never want to finish it, because if I finish the story, I'll be stuck here, again. Alone in my room, as Akinari, the person who can't escape his fate. Stories about hope or heroism, those are the kind of books I read."

He stopped, and smiled his strange smile again before starting again. "So hopefully, if I do decide to finish reading them, I'll feel happy at the end when I come back here." His smile was weak, but he held it.

The surge of energy came again. She had always wondered if anyone had noticed the power when it came upon her.

Before she could say anything, Akinari spoke up.

"Time is ruthless... It looks like the sun is already setting. I hope we have another chance to talk."

And like that, she knew it was time to go back to the dorm. She was quiet once again.

Another week passed by, with more of the same. She met with and helped people, and actually managed to stay on top of school with most of her sleep intact. The next time she saw Akinari, he wasn't doing quite as well as her.

Apparently, he had gotten absorbed into his reading once again. As a result, he had developed another cough.

"Don't push yourself.", She suggested to Akinari. Actually, it would be more like a plea than a suggestion.

Akinari saw her worry, and conceded. "... Yes, I suppose I need to apologize. It's been a long time since anybody raised their voice at me... " Akinari gave another one of his smiles again.

"I came all this way because I was hoping to find you. Remember how I talked about reading upbeat stories?", He asked. "There are plenty of stories, but I don't think reading them will ever be able to make me feel better."

The traditional sour look that came upon his face when he pondered about the fairness of his condition arose again. It was pain and fear and anger all bound in one tight, tiny frown on his face.

"The problem is, all those stories were written for someone else.", He complained. Then, realizing some error in his words, he retracted them. "I guess what I'm saying is selfish... I'm being selfish about you too."

Just like the last time, he altered his statement to be clearer, knowing that what he just said could have been interpreted in several ways.

"You're always coming to see me, and I take up a lot of your time. How much of your valuable time have you used on visiting me?

"… I don't deserve it. You're spoiling me, I'm afraid." He looked downright morose for a moment, but his grin came back, and he admitted "That's why I like you though." He was smiling weakly.

The newly affirmed bond in their relationship sparked again. She realized that it was her fifth time meeting him, and the fifth time their link had grown.

More importantly, he had said that he had liked her. Although She understood that Kamiki was probably purely platonic in his regard for her, there was still an aspect that she couldn't avoid. She was about to say something to Akinari, something stupid and girlish and silly about love, but her moment was interrupted by Kamiki falling into a bout of coughing and wheezing.

"Sorry... It seems I used too many words today.", Akinari apologized profusely. "I'd like us to be able to speak here again some time..."

She nodded and let him be alone with his thoughts again.

On the way back this time, she found herself fighting her thoughts and emotions about Akinari. As entrapping of a person he was, even with how strongly his eyes burned beautifully in the sunset, she knew that there was a gap between the both of them. They could help each other, but at this point, there could be nothing between them.

She had recently realized how young Kamiki was. Really, he had at most two or three years on her. She knew that he wasn't required to go to school, so really, there was no way to tell, and their conversations tended not to be about their statistics, focusing almost fully on the issues and problems that they dealt with.

So surely, their dividing factor wasn't so much some number of years they had spent living, but the time that they had left on the Earth.

That was the thought that she took to bed, and embraced, like some martyr, trying to block out the void from some malevolent teddy bear.


	4. Chapter 4

Miracle at Naganaki

Chapter 4

She quickened her pace, feet hitting the pavement again and again. She had been sick for the majority of her break, and then there were all of the studies she had to catch up on, and then the training she had to catch up on in Tartarus, so she really wanted to get to Naganaki Shrine.

The truth was, she had missed her meetings with Akinari. There was a reason why she spent her Sundays with him. Even if he was a few years older than her, she still felt like she was closer to him than any other friend. Ever since the accident in which her parents were lost, she had felt a darkness in herself, like Death, locked up within herself, growing and festering. Not only was she an orphan, she operated on a different plane than her school friends. And it seemed as if only a dying young man who spent his Sundays at a shrine even came close to approaching her way of life.

Maybe in an other world, another reality, she would have ignored the interloper within her, and looked over that in her relationships with others, but that just wasn't possible for her, running through the streets just to meet up with a dying man, on the sole basis that his darkness was a partner to hers.

"Hey, how do you feel about a pink alligator?", Akinari had asked, out of the blue,

"What, out of the blue?". She had responded, taken back at the apparent randomness of the question.

Akinari realized the arbitrariness of his question, and looked off into the park.

"Oh sorry... I was just... thinking about something.", he explained, looking embarrassed. "See, it's the main character of a story that I'm writing. He was born in the calm forest of green, but he turned out to be pink."

Akinari was clearly interested in explaining the story, his eyes lighting up like they did when a discussion came to something he was interested in.

" He's so visible that he can't hunt for food easily, so he's always especially hungry. The other animals dislike him and consider his coloration disgusting.", Akinari explained, turning morose. "Almost like he's cursed. So he started living alone... but then he made a friend."

She could recognize his story in there, with Akinari as the pink alligator, cursed from birth and isolated from everyone. She wasn't sure, but she thought she knew who the friend was.

"His friend was a bird—but, a bird that was unable to fly. So the bird wold stand on the pink alligator's back and practice its flying."

Akinari smiled sheepishly.

"... It's embarrassing to talk about. But anyway... How does the story sound to you?"

"I need to hear more.", She replied, honestly. The story was interesting, in the same sort of way their discussions on the bench were.

"I mean, I'm still planning things out at this point...", Akinari mumbled, not sure of how to respond to her positive feedback. "I've never tried writing a story before, so maybe I'm not good at it."

Akinari's resolve visibly strengthened.

"But, I'm writing it for myself, so that's what matters.", Akinari said, before letting his expression soften again. "I hope you take something positive away from it, though..."

He was nodding to himself.

"I started thinking about it the other day, actually. I wanted to write an upbeat story of my own to cheer me up.", Akinari turned pensive, as if thinking much more about the story than he had before.

"Maybe if I can find some meaning to my life, I can put that in my story."

His grin came back, ear to ear, but she could see some uncertainty in Akinari's eyes.

"When I write... I can see you in my mind. It seems as if you're telling me not to die just yet.", He finished, his weak, yet strong smile shining on his face.

She felt a shock, and then the warming effect that the usual increase in powers gave her. As she looked into Akinari's eyes, the warmth just seemed to spread. There was more communication in that split second than they had gone through at all of their meetings on the bench.

Before she could say the one thing that could have deepened the relationship, Akinari saw the words coming, and interrupted her, breaking eye contact.

"The wind is going to start blowing soon. I can feel these kinds of things now. I hope I have enough time. Let's go home. We can talk again some other time."

She got to her feet, slowly and sullenly. Before she was entirely out of hearing range, he half-called, half-whispered, "Be careful."

Her cheeks reddened, and she realized how much of a child she was acting like, nowhere near as mature or developed as Akinari. She was silly for even considering the simple three words that would have conveyed her infatuation.

She went back to the dorm. The next full moon was quickly arriving.

Shinjiro was in the hospital. That was a large setback for the team. As team leader, Shinji's absence spelled large issues for the makeup of the raid team that she usually sent out to Tartarus. Luckily, Shinjiro had left his equipment in a box, so she was able to sell it off, because it didn't look like Shinjiro would be leaving the hospital anytime soon.

From what she knew of him, after their talk in the playground of Naganaki, she knew that the decision that she made to sell off his equipment was the right one. If he was awake, he probably would have agreed with the decision.

Thinking about it, she could have gotten very close to Shinjiro, if she had said certain things at certain times. She wasn't interested in that kind of relationship with him, but she at least found more in common with him than most of the other students at her school.

So now, a week later, she finally could get around to meeting Akinari back at the shrine.

He was still writing his story, it turned out.

"How much had I told you about?", he asked, trying to find where to resume his storytelling from.

"Oh right... The pink alligator and the bird had become friends, right?"

He nodded, and started the story from where he had left off.

"This was the alligator's first friend, and he was very happy. They started going to the river every day, and the little bird would sing while the alligator listened. But again, the alligator couldn't catch food easily because of his color."

"Pink is such an odd color,", Akinari stated matter-of-factly. "His prey in the jungle saw him from far away and had plenty of time to escape. He became so hungry he was dizzy all of the time, and accidentally ate the bird one afternoon as it slept in his mouth."

Akinari's expression didn't change, but his tone did, as if he was reading the story to a young audience.

"Of course, he realized his mistake immediately. He drank swamp water to induce vomiting, but the bird was already dead when he retrieved it. After that, he couldn't bring himself to eat anything."

Akinari stopped the story.

"That's as far as I've written. I haven't decided on an ending.", He explained.

"It's a very gloomy story.", She told him, hoping to provide at least some form of feedback on his story.

Akinari seemed very unconcerned. "Is it really that dark?", He wondered. "I dunno... For me, it's hard to tell. The words I use come out from my life, you know? So, they may seem depressing to you, but to me, that's just life."

Akinari nodded knowingly.

"So before, I mentioned I was writing my diary... That was a lie, I was writing my will. I couldn't face reality... and I was essentially screaming curses into my notebook. But for now, I'm writing the story in the same notebook. It probably isn't very good, but it contains some things that I've learned during my short life."

His hardened face broke into a smile.

"When it's done, I want you to read it... I mean, meeting you is the main reason I started writing it."

While he said that last sentence, he looked meaningfully into her eyes.

The power came again, but she ignored it to hear what Akinari had to say next.

"I'm really trying to come up with a good ending, but I can't decide... I don't have much time left."

Once again, He abruptly ended the conversation.

"...Well, thanks. I hope we can chat some more later.", he said.

She knew she had no choice but to get up from the bench and go up. Akinari Kamiki was clearly holding her at a distance, and for now, she guessed she would have to put up with it.

Exams were a triviality after all the studying she had done in pursuit of her studies, and on the weekend, once again, she found herself going down to Naganaki on another fine day. This time, it seemed he was in another coughing fit.

"Just give me a minute... so I can... calm down..", he pleaded.

She stayed at Akinari's side while the coughs and wheezing subsided.

"F-false alarm...", He stammered. "I had some pain, but... It's better now. It's calming down. Thanks"

Akinari smiled in gratitude, and hesitantly started speaking, letting the smile drop.

"I... stopped taking my medicine.", He stated. It's not going to fix me anyway, right? It just helps for the pain and... spasming."

Based off of some instinct, she reprimanded him, saying "That's reckless."

Akinari agreed, mollified. "I know, I know. It's only speeding things along, but my medicine makes me drowsy, and if my hands go numb, then I can't write anything..."

Akinari once again solidified his expression, stating, which much confidence, "I have to finish my story."

He was clearly determined, but he wasn't done.

"The reason my story's unfinished is because I haven't found the meaning of life yet. I get lost in my writing, erase it, and then don't know where to go next... When we're talking, I have a clearer picture. I can almost see it. It seems like that might be the meaning of life for me..."

Akinari let his talking stop as a cold wind blew through and made him shiver.

"I'm probably writing this book to find the meaning of life.", He declared. "Well, if I do find it and finish the story... I hope we get a little more time together after that."

The power flowed, but once again, Akinari made sure she got on her way before she could put a word in.

"...The sun... is setting.", He informed her. "I hope to see you again."

And with that, she was excluded once again, and let robotic movements take her away from the shrine.

She had scored the highest in her class on her exaMrs. Everybody around her had called her a genius, some form of child prodigy. She knew, really that her success was just due to the change she had felt when she had came to Iwatodai city. If anyone had seen her for the earlier parts of her school career, they would no doubt be amazed at the change, as she had been.

She was again on the walk to the shrine, a lonely path that cut through the busiest streets and crossed the heavily packed intersections.

The next battle was in two days. The final battle was in two days. As much as she wanted it to be the last, there was a suspicion that there were more growing in her head.

However, Akinari, forever ignorant of her most important after-midnight extracurricular activities, had something important to bring up.

"So...", Akinari started, enthusiastic. "I'd like you to congratulate me. As of today, I am a free individual."

His free and unrestrained smile shone out, but she was confused.

"Free from what?", she asked.

"From the hospital.", He answered. "They were going to put me under care, but now I don't have to do it. I guess my body is too weak to undergo surgery. So, I refused any medication as well... Which means I'm done with the hospital. Now I'm just waiting for the end."

Akinari was surprisingly okay with the news, reporting it with a smile as if it was another funny anecdote or embarrassing admittance.

"But,", Akinari added. "I don't feel like I'm the only one being singled out anymore. Everyone is waiting to die if you think about it. Some just have longer to wait than others. But once the time comes, it's the same for us all."

Akinari's analysis of death seemed all too real for her; even being alive, and hopefully, isolated from death, she was still surrounded by it. Her parents died, Shiniro came close. All of those Apathy Syndrome victims on the street were dead men walking.

"I'm still a little lonely", Akinari admitted. "But I'm not sad anymore."

Akinari smiled slightly, and his intonation changed.

"I want to remember what you look like.", Akinari revealed. "You are... beautiful. You're like... a pristine lake..."

Each word hit her like a bullet. Looking at Akinari, she saw his smile tinged with sadness. Of course, like after most of these crystal-clear moments, the power of their link swelled up again in a crescendo. But this time, she didn't care. She was still trying to piece together what Akinari had said.

"Thank you...I'm-" Akinari hesitated. "I'm a little bit tired today... The story is almost done, so I can show it to you soon."

She got a sudden desire to do something foolish. She, already up against his side, stared him in the eyes, trying to get her message across. Akinari's eyes flashed with the acknowledgement of what she was trying to say. He didn't say anything, but he didn't move, either.

She leaned in closer, closing her eyes and bending her head a bit so that her lips could reach Akinari's chapped, pale ones. The time it took for the two to meet seemed infinite, but before it happened, Akinari's weak arms went up to her shoulders and stopped her.

Immediately, her eyes snapped open. Akinari was there, with the sad smile on his coveted lips. He was shaking his head slightly.

"No...", He whispered, brushing a hair out of her face. "We belong to different worlds, even if we are both dying. I'm not alone, but I should be distant."

Her response to Akinari was fierce, her red eyes burning as she tried again. Akinari's grasp on her turned into a hug, where he held her close.

"No...", He repeated. "Find someone else. Someone you can share your entire life with. Please."

Just then, in Akinari's arms, something broke, and she started to cry, into his shoulder. It felt strangely good to her, to cry, after so long holding her tears back. Akinari smoothed her hair out from the back, patting her gently.

"It's alright.", He said, reassuringly "It's okay. I've made my peace. All I have to do is finish my story. All you have to do is live."

"Just live.", He repeated again and again, holding her in his embrace, taking care to calm her down.

Something about the way she was being held reminded her of love, but before she could but her finger on it, she found that she was falling asleep.

When she woke up, the seat next to her was still warm, and Koromaru had been looking expectantly just around the corner, as if watching Akinari go. It was night now, and she decided to go back to the dorm with Koromaru. She couldn't feel the tears on her face, probably because they were all soaked into Akinari's shoulder.

That night, she cried herself to sleep again.

"I chooseth this fate of my own free will", She mumbled under her breath.

She couldn't believe it. Two upheavals. Akinari would die soon. She had been fighting shadows, not to save the world from the Dark Hour, but to bring about the end of the world. Even worse, another floor had opened in Tartarus, and she had to sleep it out because she was tired.

Now, she was going back to Akinari.

"I've been waiting.", he announced, with his standard smile, showing no sign of her breakdown here the last time that they met.

"I finished my story and wanted to show it to you.", Akinari said, his smile calm.

"As you know, I was having a lot of trouble with the ending... but I finally figured it out."

There was another pause in the communication while he went into storyteller mode.

"Since the alligator ate his friend the bird, he cried and cried for a very long time. In fact, he was so sad... that he drowned in his own tears. His tears became a beautiful lake, around which grew beautiful flowers an a tree with delicious fruit. The other animals in the forest came there often to relax, but none of them knew that the alligator had created it or that he was gone. The end."

Akinari looked guilty.

"That's the ending I decided on. Even though the alligator did not find meaning in his life, the residents of the forest did. They just didn't realize it... Because... the meaning of my life is not something I should worry about. It's really what others think of my life or what I was able to do for them."

"So... for me, or you, or anyone... the meaning of our lives is something that we make but don't see. People can't survive without help from others. We all depend on one another."

Akinari smiled, self-conciously.

"I don't know if that made sense, but... Do you kind of get what Im saying?"

"I get it", She responded. His actions were starting to make sense now.

"I'm glad...", He sighed, before holding his notebook out to her. "This is the notebook... I wrote my story in it. It's all I have to leave behind. I wanted you to have something. Since you shared my last moments."

She took took the worn notebook from him gratefully. Akinari stood up, somewhat invigorated, and smiling, as ever.

"My body feels lighter... Thank you for everything... Coming to see me, talking... even discussing the meaning of life... I... I can be glad that I was born."

Suddenly, she could understand Akinari's kindness, and the final burst of pure power from their relationship formed at the shrine exploded, ricocheting around her extremities. She was informed that she could now create Asura, the grand being, but once again, her thoughts were on Akinari.

"I have to go now.", He whispered again, in the same tone he had used while refusing her the last time they met. "Maybe... Someday... I hope... we meet again."

She rocketed to her feet, trying to grab hold of him, but he was already out of reach.

But not out of hearing range. Instead of whisper, he announced, in his storyteller voice,

"I've decided to get a second opinion. My regular doctor suggested it. He said that either I'm rallying, or this is the last peak before the fall. Either way, I feel unburdened, and ready for anything. So I'll try. Either way, I'm either going to be in the hospital, or hospice for a long time, so this is my goodbye. Thanks. For everything.",

Akinari left, escaping into the afternoon sunlight before She could do anything about it.

Grasping the worn notebook tight, she headed back to the dorm.

They had just struck down Nyx Avatar. And then seen it rise into the moon. And then the moon was a blood-red eye. Pandemonium on the streets, then a sudden force from above. The moon was Nyx, and it was crushing the team under its unlimited power. Her conciousness had faded, and there was a flash of blue. She was in the Velvet Room now. She had wondered if she was dead.

"This isn't the afterlife.", Igor calmly informed her. "You're still alive. Do you remember what I once told you? How the strength of your Social Links will determine your potential? Listen.. Can you hear the many voices? Although their power if very limited, they all reach out to you. Can you feel them?"

Igor was talking animatedly, using hand gestures and making sure that each word had emphasis.

"Close your eyes and listen carefully... Their voices may be faint, but certainly you hear them..."

A mysterious mass of energy was gathering in his hands. She could feel the emotions flow into her heart. All of the people she had helped, now were helping her. People young and old, male and female, students,a businessman, even a monk.

And then Akinari.

"I know I'm not the only one who's suffered... You've endured a lot, too...", Akinari stated, trying to encourage her, and support her, just as she had done before. "But, you can't just give up... You taught me that."

"Can you hear them?", Igor asked. "These are the voices of hope that wish to help you."

Suddenly, Igor's large nose lifted a few degrees from its usual downward position, and it seemed as if something large had come to him.

"I never dreamed of seeing that card with my own eyes... This is indeed a surprise. Behold, the last power you and I shall unveil... It is the power to bring about a new beginning, or the ultimate end. It may be possible now, with this newfound power... You may be able to defeat the one who cannot be defeated. What you have in your hands is the power of the Universe. Nothing is outside of the realm of possibility for you now."

There was a period of silence, like awe.

Elizabeth slipped into the silence.

"We will soon reach your destination.", Elizabeth informed the elevator's occupants.

"It seems that, in addition to Death, you have been dealt the Wild Card. You must accept your destiny."

Igor appeared joyed, yet sad.

"Our contract has been fulfilled. I have completed my role as well. You were truly a remarkable guest."

The elevator stopped, and Igor watched as the Wild Card left the elevator into the light.

Everyone was fighting the power of the moon with all of their might. They weren't getting anywhere. However, She stood up against the power.

Her friends called out to her in surprise, but her body felt like. This must be what Akinari had felt. She lifted herself into the air, and flew towards the coruscating pool of power in the sky, Nyx. She was flying into Nyx. And then she was at the core, a yellowish egg surrounded by branching, weblike hands.

Without discussion, the apparition cast Death upon her, a large ball of reddened energy. She fell, but her friends sent her energy. They risked their lives for her. She could feel herself healing. After that, it seemed as if she could block and outstep the attacks easily. She felt as if she could cast a seal, at the expense of her life points.

Without hesitation, she summoned the will within herself to do it, without the use of an Evoker. She cast it, and everything was engulfed by light. Distantly, she could hear her team talking, and Pharos, reassuring her. She had found the answer to life's greatest question, apparently. Then it hit her. She had. Just a bit sooner than everyone else.

She couldn't help feeling like Akinari when that thought came out. She sighed.

And thus, Tartarus was destroyed, the world was saved from the Fall, and the Dark Hour ended. Nobody could remember it.

The next few months were spent in dreadful ignominy. Every Sunday, she would show up at Naganaki, looking for Akinari. He wasn't there. Only Aigis knew what had happened. Her friends were in forgetful shambles. The days went by, without incident, however. She knew it was the end of her journey. She had been given one year, and the drains on her body became more and more apparent. If worse than anything she had ever felt before, even during the period of overwork before she met Akinari. Even her flus were better than this.

It hurt on a mental level. Physically, she was tired. She could do everything, but she felt her essence being sapped away by the day. She remained on top of everything she was involved in, but at the same time, it was all so much of an effort. An entire lifetime's effort placed into each action. But it was worth it, for her friends, especially with her discovery of the meaning of life.

She had visited every one of them on her last days. That was what mattered. Not what she did or discovered in her life, but what others derived from hers. One last meeting with everyone. One last impact to make in their lives. That wasn't exactly what she found the meaning of life to be, but it was a significant part of it, and thus, she fulfilled it.

As she strolled once last time down to Naganaki, she realized that it had all been different. If not for the promise she had made to meet her friends on the rooftop tomorrow, she would surely already been dead. After all, that was the only logical conclusion of the extreme deficiencies in power she had been feeling.

She was glad that she had somehow pushed Akinari's fable through Mitsuru's connections into a publisher before they had ascended Tartarus to fight Nyx. Maybe, that was enough,just sharing his story, was enough to be remembered.

She was almost about to collapse by the time she reached the shrine. To her discontent, or rather, in accordance with her fears, Akinari wasn't there. Instead, there was a middle aged woman. She approached the woman, already expecting the worst.

The woman seemingly recognized her as She came closer to her. The woman identified her by name, and asked if she was right in assuming that that was Her name.

"Yes.", she responded simply, knowing that this was probably the mother that Akinari had mentioned a few times.

"I see. So... You're her...", The woman's face seemed to, just like Akinari's, shift between a small pool of very emotive expressions, each one holding multiple different interpretations.

"...Oh, excuse me.", she apologized. "I'm... Mrs. Kamiki. Akinari's mother. My son talked about you a lot... I was just thinking about him... If you have time, could you sit here and talk about him with me?"

"Okay...", She said, waiting for the affirmation of her worst fears.

"That's wonderful. Please sit down", invited Mrs. Kamiki.

She sat down next to Akinari's mother.

"Today is... a special day.", she informed Her. "What a coincidence, seeing you today. It must be another of God's tricks...", Mrs. Akinari mused, soon lapsing into one of son's silent periods.

"Today is my son's... Akinari's birthday. He's 20. Already 19 years... It hasn't been long enough. He's an adult now, but almost never made it..."

To say that She had breathed a sigh of relief would be a lie, because she had given a tiny gasp of surprise, instead. She had never expected this turn of events.

"He had a genetic disease. Me, I'm healthy as a horse, but him... The doctors detected it at birth, and with the level of technology at that time, expected that he wouldn't live to see adulthood."

Although what she was saying was obviously happy, she still carried the same expression, as if reliving the experiences around his birth.

"Every day, I wondered if he'd wake up the next morning. I blamed myself for what he inherited...", Mrs. Akinari said.

"But.", Mrs. Akinari said, "He said something to me near the start of his current hospital treatment. It was something like "I'm sorry to have brought so much pain into your life, Mother. I'm glad to have been given life. I'm glad to have been your son. Thank you so much for the life you have given me..."

Mrs. Kamiki had tears in her eyes.

"That's what he said. He was the one who suffered so much, and yet he said that to me... My son brings a lot of joy into my life, too. Every day, I gave thanks for him being alive... Every day, I found new joy in him."

Mrs. Kamiki suddenly remembered something.

"That reminds me... when my son's condition worsened, he started writing a fable. But when I was cleaning out his room after he left for the hospital, I never found the notebook... He said he was going to show it to you first, when he was done. I asked why not me, and he laughed and said "You'll be the second one to see it, Mom."

"I suppose... he wasn't able to finish the story before he was admitted for his treatment..."

She stepped in to reassure Mrs. Kamiki, "He gave it to me."

Mrs. Kamiki instantly brightened up. "...! My son... He was able to give it to you?"

She explained to Mrs. Kamiki the whole story, about receiving the notebook and hearing the entire story from him.

"I... I see... I'm so glad. That was my only regret before he left the house... You should hold onto the notebook. I'm sure that's what he wants. I haven't gone to visit him in a while, as his immune system is severely weakened as a result of the treatment.

Mrs. Kamiki smiled, much like Akinari did, and said "I'll wait for him to tell it to me himself, when I see him again."

Mrs. Kamiki stood up quietly.

"I'm glad you and I could finally meet. Thank you."

Before she left, she turned around, as if remembering another thing.

"There is one piece of advice I'd like to give you, as an old lady to a young one. Take good care of the ones closest to you. It doesn't take a grand gesture, you don't have to make a big production of it, but, if you love someone, let them know it. We all go through life with the same struggles, the same heartbreak, so we should be able to prop each other up with the same love and kindness as well... I'm sure you have something precious you can share with other people. Always remember that."

Mrs. Kamiki then left, without looking back.

She remained seated for much longer, even after Mrs. Kamiki had been gone for at least an hour. Akinari was alive, but she still didn't know where he was, and her time was almost up.


	5. Chapter 5

Miracle at Naganaki: Chapter 5

Titanium Blossom

(_**A/N: Oh gosh. I seem to have some big delay issues when it comes to getting things in on time. My next story will be a TF2 one, but I doubt it will pass the M-fic ratings thing.)**_

She awoke to a shaded figure at the entrance to the shrine's common ground. The person cast a long darkness, drawn from the streetlight that hung directly outside of the gates.

She wasn't afraid of whoever it was that was standing there. After all, things like defeating the embodiment of humanity's destructive emotions tended to cheapen the rest of the world's threats, especially in light of how weary she felt.

Candidly, she didn't feel like doing anything but continue to languish at the bench until it was time to head to Gekkoukan's roof to fulfill her oath to the SEES team. Everything just took so much effort now, and so much energy. She would rather just lie here until it was time.

Then, in the thick of her musings about inaction in what she presumed were her final hours, the figure at the entrance moved closer. The single lamp in the shrine lit his face.

The long grey hair, loose stripy shirt, and the beamy grin of Akinari were exposed, somehow managing to imbue him with an overall look of enhanced vitality. He was the first to speak, as ever, as he walked towards her at an irritatingly slow pace.

"Is that really you?", he asked, wary disbelief saturating his entire expression. He advanced ever slowly onwards, before stopping a few meters away from her.

A thin, ironic smile came into being on her lips, just by seeing him there, standing like a lost soul.

"It seems unbelievable.", she said, arranging herself higher on the bench. "Unbelievable that once, you, the one who seemed trapped in darkness yearned for the light in me." She coughed, involuntarily. Staying out on the bench for so long had exposed her a spot too much to the weather.

"You've changed.", Akinari gasped, in some way shocked. He stood, frost-bound, in front of their bench.

"Have a seat..", she invited, parroting his earlier words. "This bench is too big for just me."

As if by command, he sat down. As She turned to face him, she noticed his eyes glisten, and the faint outline of something running down his chin. He was facing great adversity turning and facing her. He clearly could sense some of what had happened to her, some of what would happen.

Gingerly, she reached out to Akinari's chin with her hand, and guided it in her direction. She faced no resistance, and this close to Akinari, she could really tell that he had improved health wise. She couldn't sense any sort of malignancy within him. It was hard to determine it, but he looked cured, his past exhaustion gone from his actions and body, and he seemed to give off his own light all his own, even though the bags under his eyes indicated he hadn't been getting much sleep recently.

"How?", Akinari asked, his head lowering, against the better hopes of Her left hand, which couldn't hold up against his full weight. "How did you... become like this?" Akinari indicated the enteriety of her body with his head.

"I suppose you won't believe me, but it started almost a year ago. I was moved to this town by train, to the prestigious Gekkoukan Academy, and was to live in a dorm, because of my status as an orphan. The journey to the dorm was strange, and it didn't let up from there..."

As she continued talking, for the longest she ever had talked to anyone, really, she realized that they had come full circle. She was the weak, dying youth on the bench, and he was the vibrant, alive person, listening to her final story.

After what seemed like an eternity, despite the large lapses she had to make in terms of chronology and progression, she came to the end. When she told it aloud, it seemed to be that much more unbelievable.

"... Ever since then, I've been weak, and getting weaker. Something gives me a feeling that there will be an something for me after the energy drains out, but it won't be anything like paradise, if what I've seen in my dreams are any indication. Anyway, I talked to your mother just today, and decided to stay on the bench, mainly because I was too tired to go somewhere else. And then you came..." Her story ended, trailing, with her looking at him.

There was a long, extremely still, period of intense gazing in either direction.

"I believe you.", Akinari acquiesced, "But I wish I could deny it. All that time, you were struggling, fighting terrible monsters for the benefit of all of us, and I didn't even know it. And then, while you... you had this, I was away on self-serving reasons. If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have... I... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."

Akinari's speech had become rushed and tear-filled near the end. The apologies had, in fact, been sobbed out.

"Don't cry.", she reassured, "Don't cry. I'm at peace now, alright? I even found the meaning of life. That'll make it better, right? It doesn't matter that I'm going to..." She couldn't finish the sentence, knowing that it would bring nothing but pain back into her mind. Even so, a tear, like the ones she had cried herself to sleep with, fell out. Not for herself, but for Akinari's sorrow.

"Look what you've made me do now, you silly. Now I'm crying, when I promised myself not to cry.", she ruefully pointed out to Akinari.

Akinari looked up at her through his obstructive sequence of tears that lingered in his eyes like an echo and made everything blurry.

"You said you found of the meaning of life. What do you think it is?", Akinari asked.

She weakly raised herself up to his ear and cupped her hand around his ear, childishly, and whispered it. His eyebrows raised in surprise and he smirked. He face clearly displayed his eagerness to share, as well.

Akinari whispered something back to her, without the cupped hand around her ear.

They both laughed, breaking the sadness, if only a bit, for only a small amount of time.

After their laughing fit was over, and her coughing finally subsided, Akinari decided to interrupt her stream of talking with some of his own story.

"I'm not sure if my mother told you the details of my care in the hospital, but after... you know... the last time I saw you, I decided I would try to make myself better, so that I could see you, for longer."

To her, that event seemed so distant now.

" You inspired me to go back to the doctor and ask to join his experimental treatment study. ", Akinari admitted. "Of course, being the rare disease that it is, I had no resistance."

Akinari checked his bench-partner's face for signs of boredom, and seeing none, moved on with his tale.

"So, for the past few months, I've been receiving gene therapy to cure my disease, blood plasma replacement to clear the toxins out, and plenty of medications to accompany the rehabilitation they put me through. It worked pretty well, even if it was slow, and my doctor became pretty famous for it. If only it hadn't taken so much time..."

With the dithering away, again came a salty drop from Akinari's eye.

"Shhhh.", She shushed him. "We still have time, right here. Remember our secret? This will just help you fulfill it. Don't forget some of it for me, that's all.", She reminded him. A cheerful smile was on her face, for one of its rare occasions.

Akinari turned to look at her, and once again, her hand came up to his tear-stained jaw, turning it towards her. This time, however, she actually advanced, too, and planted a dry, dainty kiss onto his sorrow-frozen lips.

The kiss was dry, to be sure, but not chapped like his had been from his illness. To further complicate it, it was more like a peck because of how nervous she had been. It wasn't a good one, but she wanted to see if he was actually open for another try.

He looked dismayed once again, and she watched him very intently to see what else further he would do beyond looking fearful and shocked. It was like the last time, when he had backed out.

He hadn't resisted, like her previous attempt at romance, but the last time, he hadn't been silent for so long. Clearly, he was combatting some internal issue or dilemma regarding her, and his feelings for her, and what he would do. Finally, he made a decision, one which clearly pained him.

"I can't...", Akinari started to say, but he couldn't complete his sentence, instead going back to his irregular sobs that he had shared not too long ago with her.

This time, however, she was having nothing of it. Something about the way their entire discussion had gone annoyed her. She felt like having things her way at least once.

"Hey, Akinari.", she said, harshly. " "Y_ou don't look down on me the way everyone else does"_ , remember?"

Akinari's position changed. He sat upright on the bench, sniffled several times, and nodded. At their second meeting, Akinari had lauded her for her fair treatment of him, despite his terminal illness.

"You're right. ", Akinari said. "At the very least, I should stop crying. You never cried, back when I was in your position. Well, until that one day, when you ..." Akinari's words came to an end, and there was a long period of time again in which nothing but eye contact.

Akinari checked his watch quite conspicuously.

"It's only 11 o'clock? Time seems to be going faster and faster nowadays. I'm surprised the day isn't already over", He muttered, awkwardly, in the manner that strangers will sometimes do, a careless remark meant to disarm the people around you into thinking you were just a good-natured idiot.

He realized his mistake when she turned to him with a _Really?_ look on her face, as if she couldn't believe he managed to mess up that bad. It wasn't exactly good to point out to the dying the passage of time.

"I mean... uhh... Damn.", Akinari stammered, finally giving up, and looking down in shame.

When he looked back up, he was face to face with her face, full of mirth.

"You know,", she casually announced, still only an inch or so from his face, propped weakly up on the bench on her knees and hands. "I really love everything about you. Even your mistakes.", she declared, struggling to hold her balance without tipping onto him.

Akinari thought she looked so unbelievably cute right there, with her cheeks lightly flushed, matching well with her somewhat disheveled red hair, still held in place by the XXII clip. Akinari started to lean towards her, decision finally made, but She wobbled and for a moment, it looked like she would regain her balance, but the strength in her limbs gave out and she tumbled into Akinari's arms.

He caught her, and she twisted around to face up at him. Slowly, she placed her hand back up to his face again. Akinari bent low to bring his mouth to hers. This time, the kiss was a proper one

"You don't have to face this alone.", Akinari pronounced to her, fiercely gazing into her eyes to ensure that his message reached her. This was his decision, to stay by her side till the end.

"Time is ruthless.", Akinari admitted. "But I will always be here for you. I'll never leave your side again."

A smile came to her face at Akinari's words. "You're spoiling me, I'm afraid.", she bashfully muttered.

"I'm serious. You stood by me, when no one else would. You're... perfect. The biggest mistake I made was leaving you just before you faced Nyx. I was just so afraid, the first time you tried to kiss me."

Akinari gulped, and continue. "I was afraid of having to love. I was afraid that I would leave someone behind. I just didn't understand. Instead of staying and dealing with my emotions, I fled to the hospital to cure my disease, without consulting you or your feelings."

"Akinari.", she warned, again. "I would have wanted you to go, whether you talked with me before it or not. Live, with me, without regrets, for as long as we have. That's all I've ever wanted."

This time, when she kissed him, it was far less exploratory. They stayed lip-locked. She could very clearly feel her feeble heartbeat increase in strength and speed. Her cheeks flushed, and she felt her body start to hum. Still in Akinari's arms, she wrapped her arms around the back of Akinari's neck and pulled herself on his lap.

Neither of them had been in a situation like this. When the two broke apart for breaths, though, the intensity remained. Akinari gasped, through the kiss, when she started running her hands across his body, his bare skin only sheltered by his thin shirt. When her hand reached the patch of bare skin exposed by the buttons he had left undone, she could feel the warmth from him greater than ever before.

Akinari responded in kind, hands dancing over her blouse. She clearly was not in favor of expending any more time than was necessary, and Akinari felt that whatever she wanted from him, he was obligated to give. He felt her, from the bottom of her front up, submitting his long-fingered hands to the various contours of her body. Just before he reached the slight mounds on her chest, she pulled back from the kiss, at just the worst time.

"Is this really the best place for this?", she asked Akinari, looking quite obviously at the most questionable aspects of their surroundings, such as the children's playground, unoccupied in the night, or the shadowy shrine, unattended at the late hour. _Either way_, she seemed to be saying, _this is not the place for this._

Akinari admitted to himself that the shrine was definitely not the place for whatever their rapid series of kisses were supposed to lead to, and started the business of sitting up. The look of dejectedness was clear on his face.

"We can go somewhere else, if you want.", she suggested coyly. "I'm sure someone your age could get into a few places..."

Akinari sighed, delightedly, knowing exactly what she was asking him to do, and only secretly enjoying it.

It it didn't feel like that long of a walk through the city, reliant upon the way that they remained together, hand-in-hand, as they strolled down the streets. Together, they went down to the Seaside district, and the notorious Shirakawa Boulevard. Both of them tried to ignore the process of it, and so when they ended up in a deluxe room of the extremely new Seaside Clamshell Inn, there was a discordance between action and thought. The two teens stood in a love hotel room, wondering how they got there, and how they would be when they got out.

Even so, Akinari excused himself to take a shower, leaving her alone in the shallow room to poke at the waterbed and surprise herself with the various buttons arranged near it.

Light, music, even spinning. Each button had a corresponding outlandish and flamboyant action associated with it. When she finally found the button that would return normal light to the room, she pushed it, thankfully, escaping the too-familiar and unsettling gloom that she had faced before, during a previous Shadow raid.

All of her memories regarding it were too long for her to relive then, but if the time came, sooner or later, she thought to herself would tell their story to Akinari. But before that thought could bring a smile to her face, she found herself reminded of her ever-approaching demise. Sometime, tomorrow, after meeting her friends one last time, she would be gone. Life as she knew it would be gone, like a flame gone out in the darkness.

All she had until then were the lonely hours of late night to early morning, albeit shared with her love. She let out a steady, measured out breath. She wasn't resigned to her fate at all, but she would face whatever she would face with all she had, and not regret a moment of it.

As if to somehow punctuate this moment of composure, the man most on her mind appeared from the steaming shower, towel wrapped around his waist. While it shrouded much of what would have been beneath his clothes, she could still see that his skin tone had definitely grown healthier compared to what it had been like in sickness, and his body no longer could be described as skeletal or wasting away. Instead, a more favorable categorization of his state would be "glowingly lanky".

"I decided to leave the bathrobe in there for you," Akinari said, gesturing widely. "You'll need it more than me."

She nodded her gratitude and wandered into the bathroom. A fancy mini-jacuzzi, still larger than most of the baths she had seen, lay adjacent to the shower, still radiating heat.

She took a short stint in the shower, not particularly caring as to the absence of haircare products, just standing inactively in the path of the warm water and letting it go where it pleased. Nevertheless, it was invigorating.

She didn't have the slightest clue of what she would do once she left the shower. For as long as she could stand it, she remained, but she finally stepped out after some number of eternities, as warm as she could feel, considering her circumstances.

The bathrobe was enjoyably soft, and had the smell of new linen. She stepped cautiously out of the bathroom and into the dimly lit room.

Akinari had gotten back into his clothes, eschewing his bath towel for some unknown reason. He stood up as she came closer. She stopped with about an inch in between them.

"Are you sure about all of this?", Akinari asked. "After all, I'm older than you, and we're in a place like this..."

Akinari was stopped from any further discussion when She stepped up against him and embraced him, her slight, pale arms encircling his form but somehow managing to make him feel held.

Akinari didn't want to acknowledge it, but part of him was scared of her now. Her experiences were like a trial by fire. By comparison, his life was like some low-powered oven. The shock and the awe that had went into making her, the sheer wildness of her time in the Dark Hour, and the way that she had persisted past her greatest battle to be with him all just seemed too great for him to measure up.

Still though, there was warmth in their shared embrace, and almost at the same time, the two accepted each other's desires. His arms grabbed her close and he drove his lips hungrily to hers. This time, he was surprised by her tongue, dancing on his lips, within their kiss. Truthfully, It was really Akinari's first time in that sort of encounter, and no doubt, Hers, but Akinari found himself tugged along, urged by Her actions.

He let his mouth open and suddenly, their kiss was something entirely different, less collision and more combination. Akinari found himself falling backwards onto the bed, overtaken by the intensity of the moment. It seemed as if there was a very pleasant buzz in his head, that spread and rocked around his whole body, as She lay on top of him.

She suddenly sat up, and Akinari knew exactly why. As surprising as the hotel was for its quality, the thin towel he wore around his waist could do little to hide the growing bulge constrained beneath it.

She gave him a teasing look, and started to play with it at its fringes, smoothing out little imaginary wrinkles on its surface, making Akinari nearly fall apart in anticipation.

Noticing the desperate look in his eyes, she finally obliged his request and opened the towel up, revealing to her his member. Other girls with different circumstances might have paused there, but She didn't have enough time to waste analyzing just how much satisfaction she could get with it. To her the fact that it was Akinari's and it existed was sufficient for her needs.

She undid her bathrobe and let it fall, rolling her shoulders.

She was afraid, in some ways,of what Akinari's reaction would be to her current status. The two months of exhaustion did not really preserve any of her past "lustrousness". She would have preferred Akinari seeing her how she was right before the final assault on Nyx, when she was at her prime condition.

Either way, Akinari embraced her, and she found herself on her back, with Akinari over her, kissing her fiercely. In a way, Akinari was telling her that he loved her just the way she was. As short as her time would be with him, she decided to make the most of it.

Akinari's hands were on her body, teasing her in all the right places, his long fingers applying just the right pressure where they were needed. While one hand held her, the other would apply itself all over her chest, moving, squeezing, pinching. Something she hadn't felt before started rising, Akinari's presence bringing out something unlike what she had ever felt alone.

It was a heat that came from the core of her body, but pooled and coiled somewhere near her abdomen. If the delightful, torturing, balance there ever broke, she had the feeling that it would unleash something in her body more powerful than any magic, more potent than any item.

Even so, Akinari continued to move it closer and closer to its brink. Following an immeasurable period of time in Akinari's care, she found herself looking up at him, but this time, he was looking at her in some search for approval.

"Shall I go?", he asked, braced against her entrance.

She nodded, words failing her, and he pushed.

The moment was a combined note of pain and great pleasure. All of a sudden, Akinari was part of her, deeper than she thought was possible. She couldn't hold a moan from coming out of her mouth. Akinari kissed her, softly than before. Once he felt like She was ready, he started moving. Her pleasure came in hard waves, that splashed from their point of origin and circulated around her body like some overpowered current.

Her warmth grew as Akinari continued, pounding in and then withdrawing gracefully out. The cycle was wonderful, running so strongly that she could barely focus, the pleasure too great to consider with all of her attention, the heat and the sweat and the smell of Akinari blending with hers to create something intoxicating, and priceless.

Eventually though, the waves started to build up on each other, and She found the coiling ball of pleasure, the one that heralded to indescribable sensations, was about to burst. The sensations became greater and greater, the crest of each wave adding upon the next.

Little moans kept on escaping out of her mouth before she could close it again. The feeling of Akinari within her was just too great to keep contained, and when finally, she couldn't bear it any longer, Akinari thrusted one final time, and all of a sudden, something exploded within her. Her muscles seized up, her vision became unclear. She felt her walls clenching around Akinari and relaxing, as if convulsing.

Akinari couldn't hang on, and before he could do anything about it, let himself go. His seed spilled into Her depths.

They kissed, there on the bed, and in Akinari's arms, she could rest.

She didn't know how long she had been sleeping, but when she woke up, the bedside clock reported that it was only a few hours until school. As much as she wished she could stay in bed with Akinari, she had promises to keep with her friends, so she gingerly extracted herself from Akinari's grasp and made her way to the bathroom.

Following a thorough shower, she once again stepped out into the steaming room, although this time, she could hardly savor the moment, and although she got right back into her school uniform, she still struggled with the idea of going to school for her final hours.

Just as she was about to exit, the bathroom, though, she noticed a blue door, one that she hadn't seen in the bathroom earlier. As she got closer to it, its blue outline could only mean one thing: it was a door to the Velvet Room.

She stepped in, surprised that she would board it ever again.

The long-nosed Igor awaited her in his usual position, Elizabeth standing to one side.

"Well,", Igor remarked, "This is something that hasn't happened before."

"What?", She asked, uncomprehending.

"The Velvet Room has been witness to a great many tragedies. In fact, before this moment, I could safely say that there has never been a truly happy ending for anyone who bears the power of Persona."

Igor remained seated, but sat up a little straighter.

"You see, there has always been a struggle between the positive and the overwhelming negative of the Collective Unconscious. Your Personas are an embodiment of your power to control your unconscious, to harness it for your own use. For the greatest majority of people, however, that control is absent. Instead, they combine to form their own gods and their own demons. The two foremost of these are Philemon and Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos. Although their struggle of positive versus negative resulted in Nyarlathotep's loss, those who allied with Philemon never experienced a truly happy ending."

Igor paused, gauging the look on Her face.

"I was under the impression that the same would happen for you. It is always a sacrifice that causes victory that would bring the heroes down. Although Nyarlathotep is beaten, other embodiments of the negativity of humans will rise. As soon as Nyx was defeated, other threats came to bring an end to Human's existence. Despite that, you made a promise to your friends, and while most of your energy went into that, you still had time with them, and they still have that promise. After that promise, though, you would have had to shed your physical form here."

She sighed.

"But,", Igor interrupted, "That was without a change in the Collective Unconscious. Despite its size, it can be affected by the decisions of people, and the realizations they come to."

"Your discoveries with your partner... your switching of perspectives... Only in one's final days can you truly see from someone else's perspective. The Collective Unconscious is like a balance, you see. Great Evil on one hand can only be countered with Great Good. Great Good can only exist because of Great Evil. In this case, your discovery serves both ends. The balance that you achieved is unique for someone who uses the power of Persona. You have managed to balance the Collective Unconscious by advancing your social link to level eleven, only achievable by discovering the meaning of life with someone else. For the moment, the Collective Unconscious is balanced in your regard. In recognition of your influence, your fate has been reversed. The... darker... forces of Humanity's collected thought have quelled themselves for now, and when they rise up again, you won't have to stand in their way."

The elevator doors had remained open the entire time.

Igor gestured to them.

"Count yourself lucky..." Igor said. "Mercy is given only sparingly from the Collective Unconscious. In a million other worlds, this would truly have been your last day..."

With a final bow, she left the Velvet Room.

After she had met with her friends on the roof, after they had all cried with joy with recovering their memories, after they had returned to the dorm, after even Aigis returned to where she came from, She stayed on the roof, feeling the breeze on her skin.

She was kind of sleepy, but she didn't want to go back to the dorm just yet, where they were planning an even bigger party. Instead, she walked down to a very familiar place.

Naganaki Shrine.

And there on the bench, sat Akinari, the breeze reaching him as well. Without words, she sat next to him, leaning in happily and closing her eyes, letting herself go to sleep.

_Yes, it was a miracle,_She thought to herself. _Miraculous indeed._

And somehow she knew that she would be happily forever after.


End file.
